General News

News Roundup: Feb. 17

By:
Guylaine Cadorette

Feb 17, 2002 | 9:47am EST

Top Story

Anne Robinson, host of the popular TV quiz show The Weakest Link, was met by some 150 members of the League Against Cruel Sports near London on Saturday. Robinson was headlining an event to raise money for the Vale of White Horse hunt, Reuters reports. Protesters waved banners and wore masks of the tough-talking host while chanting, "Weakest link, cruelest link." The league does not believe that Robinson, an avid supporter of fox hunting, should be using her celebrity status to support hunting.

In General

Winners of the Golden and Silver bear awards for best film, best director, best actor and best actress will be announced Sunday evening as the Berlin Film Festival draws to a close. Out of the 23 films from around the world that competed, Catherine Deneuve's 8 Femmes (Eight Women) was picked by German film critics as the best film, Reuters reports.

Paul McCartney has reportedly been offered $4 million to play a gig at Las Vegas' MGM Grand. According to BBC News, McCartney is being lined up to replace the canceled fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, which was to take place on April 6.

It seems as though Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has gotten off the street and taken to the water. Carter bought a 13-meter offshore racer with two 750-horsepower engines, which he plans to race in the American Power Boat Association's 2002 circuit in the United States and Canada. The 22-year-old, however, will not be in the boat--his father, Bob Carter, will be the pilot. The Nick Carter Racing team will debut April 28 in Daytona Beach, Fla., The Associated Press reports.

Tennis vixen Anna Kournikova has dumped her beau, Russian hockey player Sergei Fedorov, and replaced him with Latin pop crooner Enrique Iglesias. The two met while filming Iglesias' video "Escape" a few months ago and were seen "canoodling" while shopping on Fifth Avenue recently, PageSix.com reports.

Olivia Harrison, George Harrison's widow, has barred her former brother-in-law from selling items she alleges he stole from the late Beatle's Bel-Air home in the 1970s. Carl Roles, who was once married to Olivia's sister, Linda Arias, claims he received permission to remove the items from the house and denies he ever tried to sell them. The memorabilia includes records, photographs and 10 boxes of clothing, the AP reports.

Blaming excessive costs, the BBC has quit talks to buy future episodes of The Simpsons. Although it is one of BBC2's biggest family draws, the network said rival channels have pushed the price of licensing fees to ludicrous levels. According to Ananova, episodes of the show will continue airing on BBC until the end of 2006.

An exhibit entitled Secrets from the CIA, KGB and Hollywood opened at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Los Angeles on Saturday, displaying real and fictional spy gadgets. Among the 4,000 props and gizmos on display are the shoe phone used by Don Adams in TV's Get Smart and the tarantula that threatened James Bond in Dr. No.

Country singer Waylon Jennings was laid to rest Friday, following a private graveside service in Mesa, Ariz., the AP reports. Jennings died Wednesday at his home after a long battle with diabetes-related health problems. His widow, Jessi Colter, said she hopes to disclose plans for a public memorial service in Nashville next week.